Phoenix and Aqua
by roothlace
Summary: Arthur and Gwen are penpals...
1. Chapter 1

_Merlin_ doesn't belong to me.

AU set in olden times but with computers, internet, and email etc, just bear with me.

Gwen has just been 'promoted' and has been Morgana's maid for a little while although she has always worked in the Castle.

**Phoenix and Aqua**

"So, how was it?"

Gwen turned to her father and smiled. "It went well, she liked me."

"Of course she did," Tom hugged her, "everybody likes you."

Gwen had been walking in the castle for five years and she'd finally been promoted from kitchen maid to the Lady Morgana's maid. Ever since the death of Ygraine, Uther's wife, Morgana, his ward had become the highest ranking woman in Camelot. In fact she was one of the most powerful people in Camelot second only to Uther and Arthur.

"It means more work for me," Gwen reminded him.

"You're up to the challenge."

"I know," Gwen said. "You taught me well."

They sat down to dinner and after she had cleared up Gwen took out her laptop. She couldn't wait to share the news with Phoenix, her closest friend.

Phoenix. Just the thought of him, Gwen wasn't really sure but she hoped that Phoenix was male, filled her with happiness. They had met online quite by accident in a chat room, a few months ago, and had become sort of friends, they had exchanged email addresses and begun to correspond and Phoenix had become one of her greatest encouragers.

She smiled when she saw that she had an email from Phoenix.

'Dear Aqua,' she read.

'I hope that you are fine. Do you get the new job? I hope the interview went well at least. You can't believe how hectic my life has been these days, or maybe you can. I got a new assistant and I don't know if it'll work out. It's only been a few days though and I can already hear you writing me back to say it's too early to tell so I won't complain although I wonder about some of his methods.

Remember the contest I told you about the other time, well, I did pretty well and if we hadn't promised never to say exactly what we did I would bore you with the details but for now I'll only say that it was great.

Phoenix.

PS. I know we agreed not to talk about this but are you a girl by any chance?'

000

Arthur made his way back to his chambers. It had been a long few days, what with almost being killed by an old woman with a grudge against his father a week ago, getting Merlin as his new servant and then almost being killed by Valiant a few hours earlier, he was exhausted. He hit the shower and as he toweled himself he saw his laptop at the foot of his bed.

He smiled as the thought of finding an email from Aqua hit him. It would just be the thing he needed to get his mind off a man trying to kill him.

'Dear Phoenix,' he read,

'I GOT THE JOB! YAAAAAAAA!

Things have been quite hectic in my life as well. My new job is going very well I really can't complain. My boss is quite nice and well who can really complain about life in Camelot? Give your assistant a chance he may surprise you.

I am quite tired and although I promised to write a longer mail and to answer all your questions I won't be able to do so today. So … expect to hear from me quite soon. Am I a girl? Really? Does it matter?

Aqua'

Gwen laughed as she sent the mail. So Phoenix was also interested in knowing the sex of the person he was writing too! She would write to him tomorrow after seeing how things went with Morgana.

For the millionth time she regretted ever coming up with the 'no personal details' rule, she suddenly wanted to know who Phoenix was.

000

For the hundredth time Arthur wondered who Aqua was, they probably saw each other every day but didn't know it. The only people he was sure weren't Aqua were his father, Uther definitely had no time to waste on the internet; Gaius, who also seemed too busy; Morgana, because he had asked her and she had laughed in his face; and Merlin, Arthur couldn't picture Merlin writing anything. He hoped he wasn't writing to any of the knights.

000

**What do you think?**


	2. Chapter 2

Arthur couldn't believe that his father had had him thrown into the dungeons. He had known that his father would be angry that his orders had been disobeyed but Arthur couldn't stand by and watch Merlin die in his place. The poisoned chalice had been meant for him not Merlin and Arthur was determined to make it right.

He also couldn't believe he had survived the journey, that maiden had met in the caves had surely meant for him to die but somehow he had cheated death and he was intrigued by her words that he wasn't meant to die at her hands, although she had left him in the caves to die. Arthur knew he would have enough time to ponder these things especially as it seemed that his father was determined to have him spend at least a week locked up in the dungeons.

He remembered his father's reaction.

"_You disobeyed me," Uther had said._

"_Of course I did," Arthur had replied. "A man's life was at stake. I couldn't let Merlin die because of something I did."_

"_Why do you care so much?" Uther was perplexed. "The boy is just a servant."_

"_He knew the danger he was putting himself in," Arthur replied. "He knew what would happen when he drank from that goblet but he did it anyway. He saved my life."_

_He had shown his father the flower and begged him to get it to Gaius who would know what to do with it to save Merlin's life. He watched in shock and anger as his father crushed the flower in his hand and threw it to the ground._

000

"He doesn't have much time," Gaius said. "Has Arthur got the flower?"

"I don't know," Gwen told him. "Uther wouldn't allow anyone to see him." She looked at Merlin who was writhing in pain. "Is there nothing we can do?"

"Only the leaf of the mortaeus flower can save him."

"Then we have to find out if Arthur has it."

Gwen told Gaius of her plan to sneak into the dangers and she wouldn't brook any disapproval. She was the only chance they had of finding out if Arthur had the flower, and she as she had only just graduated from being a kitchen maid no one would think anything of her going to take Arthur his food. She only had to make sure she did it before the real maid who was supposed to do it did.

000

Arthur looked up as he saw Guinevere approach his cell. He knew who she was – Morgana's new maid. He had seen her in the castle on a number of occasions and knew that she and Morgana had become very close and were friends in fact. What surprised him was that he knew her name; he told himself that it was because it was so unusual but refused to wonder why she was the first servant whose name he knew.

"Set it down over there," he told her and watched as she did and then she took a step back.

He stood up thanked her and walked to the table, he had already decided what he was going to do and hoped that Guinevere would pick up on it. He looked at the food and as Gwen made to leave the cell he spoke.

"Wait a minute," he said. His back was turned to the guard and he hoped that man wouldn't see what he was doing. "I couldn't possibly eat this. It's disgusting," he paused and looked at Guinevere – he hoped that she would understand what he was really saying. "The state it's in, it's not fit for anyone."

He watched as Gwen hid a frown walked back to the table and picked up the plate. She looked at the bread and smiled at him and left the cell.

She had understood.

000

Gwen checked her mail again. Nothing. She hadn't received any mail from Phoenix in almost a week. What was wrong with him?

She had written to Phoenix as soon as Merlin had woken up from the poison he had drunk during the visit from Bayard and the entourage from Mercia; excited to share the news – about Merlin's survival and her role in it – with him, although she had been careful to leave out as much personal detail as she could.

She couldn't believe that she had actually been able to fool the guard and that she and the Prince of Camelot had communicated via some sort of code. Gwen couldn't believe it she had stood in that cell with Arthur, and for the first time in her life she had really seen a humane and clever side to him, of course the fact that he had been willing to disobey his father and go try to find a cure for a servant, and one that he'd only known a few days had made Gwen start to rethink her earlier assessment of him but now Gwen wondered if she had been wrong about Prince Arthur all along. There was certainly more to him than met the eye.

Not that it mattered, he was the Prince of Camelot, heir- apparent and they were worlds apart. In fact she wondered why he was taking up so much of her thoughts. Phoenix was the one she ought to be wondering about, especially now that he/she seemed to be ignoring her mails.

As she entered her bed her last idle thought was for poor Arthur who had had to stay in the dungeons, well at least the week was up and Merlin was alive and still his servant, everything was back to normal.

000

Arthur sat on his bed. He would never complain about the lump in his bed again, not after the week he'd spent in the dungeons. He'd never thought he'd be glad to see his room again.

He had missed everything but especially being able to write to Aqua and as soon as he had seen his father and had his dinner, and Merlin had stopped thanking him and left his room, he got his laptop and checked his mail.

'Dear Aqua,' he wrote.

'You must have thought I had disappeared off the face of the earth or that I have thrown you out…as if… you wouldn't get rid of me that easily.

What can I say? This week has been a lesson in humility for me. I have learnt things I never thought I needed to learn but as with many lessons, you don't plan them but life kind of just throws them at you and you have no choice. Unfortunately I can't tell you where I was because of our agreement but I'm glad to be back and especially to be able to write to you.

So there's this guy that you like? Does that mean that you're a girl? I know that it shouldn't matter and that we agreed not to discuss such 'trivial and unimportant' things but just so you know I am a guy. There I said, well wrote, it. So back to the guy, does he like you too? What did he say?

As to the other matter of helping your friend, I'm glad you were to help them and that in the process you learnt something about new about the 'prat' whom we shall not even bother to give a name. You're always the one telling me not to judge people too quickly so I'm glad to hear that you think 'prat' is not beyond redemption. I bet 'prat' is just like the rest of us, trying his best to do good in the best way he knows how.

Phoenix.'

000

**Thanks for reading, reviewing, adding to alerts and favourites.**

**It's canon but with computers, email, showers etc, I hope it's not too confusing.**

**HAPPY NEW YEAR.**


	3. Chapter 3

Arthur glared at his laptop. He had expected to hear from Aqua today; he needed to hear from her. But he had been staring at the screen for thirty minutes and… nothing. She wasn't going to write today. They had fallen into some sort of rhythm, Aqua wrote in the evening and he wrote in the morning… they had been doing so for weeks now.

He had finally found out that Aqua was a girl, and she had written one day about the fact that she might be in love and he'd teased her about the fact that she seemed to fall in love quite a bit. They had shared their fears about the strange illness that had befallen Camelot and also the strange knight who had challenged the knights to duels. All in all, Phoenix and Aqua were actually becoming very good friends, he shared his frustrations about his father with her and in return she shared hers with him, all without actually disclosing their true identities.

They communicated every day except that time when Arthur had been under some sort of spell and had eloped with Sophia. After he had regained his senses he'd found many worried emails from Aqua and he had been able to tell truthfully, for once, that he had under some of sort of attack and couldn't write. Indeed of the two of them, Aqua was the more faithful writer of the two of them so her lack of communication was worrying him.

In addition to that, all his friends had gone off to Ealdor to help Merlin, whose home village was under attack from some raiders led by a man called Kanan. When Hunith, Merlin's mother had arrived Arthur had taken her to Uther who although sympathetic to their plight had refused to send them any help. Arthur had disagreed with his father's decision but he was helpless to do anything and had watched as Merlin, Morgana and Gwen had gone off to Ealdor to do what they could.

He stared at the computer again and then shut down. He would join his friends and help them, they really needed all the help they could get; Merlin could barely fight and Morgana and Gwen were just girls. His mind made up, Arthur packed some things and sent off.

000

Gwen watched as Arthur pretended to eat the food that Hunith had prepared for him. She remembered a conversation, if it could be called that, which she'd had with Phoenix. She has written to complain about Arthur or the 'prat' as they called him; again, that man took up too many of her thoughts. Phoenix had told her to talk to him, to tell him where he was going wrong and when she'd replied that she couldn't possibly do that, Phoenix had insisted that if it was beneficial to him then she should help him especially since she felt so strongly about it and him. Gwen had denied it of course but that didn't stop Phoenix from teasing her.

"Arthur hasn't eaten anything," Hunith said.

"I'll take it to him," Gwen took the bowl and went in search of Arthur.

She found him sitting on a fallen tree staring into the distance. "Hunith, made you some food," she told him.

He took it from her, stared at it and muttered, "Thanks." Gwen nodded and was about to leave him be when he added, "I think."

With Phoenix's words running through her mind, Gwen decided to speak her mind, the worst that Arthur could do was to tell her to shut up.

"Food is scarce for these people, you shouldn't turn your nose up at it," she said. She couldn't believe she had spoken like that to the Prince and she apologised immediately. She should have kept her mouth shut; she had no right to talk to him like that. No right at all.

"Gwen," Arthur said but she walked off. She had spoken out of turn and she had to leave immediately.

His "Guinevere," stopped her in her tracks and she turned around to face him. There was something in the way he said her name. "Thank you," he continued, "you're right. And you're right to speak up; I should have listened to you and Morgana. We're going to need all the help we can get."

His defeated tone had her walking towards him. "We'll be fine," she told him.

"How can you be so sure?" he asked.

"Because I have faith in you." Gwen couldn't believe she'd actually said that aloud to Arthur. It was all Phoenix's fault making her think there were …feelings where there were none. "I mean we all do," she amended.

"Thank you," Arthur told her. And she left as quickly as her feet could carry her wondering and hoping that Arthur was too taken up with the impeding battle to give any credence to her words. She couldn't believe she had actually said them.

000

'Dear Phoenix,

I'm back. I doubt you even noticed that I was gone. You were probably too busy doing what you do. Anyway I'm back and I wish I could tell exactly where I was but all I can say is that it was beautiful and I did actually manage to have some fun inspite of the seriousness of the situation I was in.

You'll never believe what happened. I actually spoke to the 'prat', I spoke to him and he actually listened to me. It was quite scary and liberating at the same time and I must tell you that I blame you entirely for it. Did I mention that he knows my name? He actually called me by name.

Aqua.

Ps. This is not another hint for you to ask me what my name is.'

0

'Dear Aqua,

Of course I noticed your absence but I won't say anymore about that because I don't want you getting a swollen heat about it. I've also been away from home for a bit but now I'm back and I must say it's great to be back although I also had a very surprising time where I was…but enough about that.

I totally accept the blame because I know that you are happy that you spoke to him. If he's anything like me then he must be happy to have someone like you in his life.

I will ignore that postscript and keep asking, you know what they say 'ask and you shall receive'.

Phoenix.'

Gwen read and re-read the first paragraph. Phoenix had also been away from Camelot for a while and from his email she assumed that he had just returned. She wondered idly if Merlin was Phoenix but dismissed it, she was sure that Phoenix was a native of Camelot. As for Arthur it was even ridiculous for her to consider him, he couldn't possibly have the time to write emails. Could he?

000

Thanks for reading and reviewing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for reading and reviewing.**

**000**

Gwen opened her laptop and connected to the internet. She had just typed the words '**Dear Phoenix**', when she received an IM from him.

'_I thought I might find you online_,' Phoenix wrote. When Gwen didn't reply immediately he added; '_How are you?_'

'**Fine. I'm fine**.'

'_Great. I figured it was about time we spoke face to face_,' he wrote and added a smiley face.

'**Okay**.'

'_You don't have to sound too overjoyed by the prospect_,' he joked.

'**I'm not unhappy to find you online and to be talking to you…it's just that I thought you would be out doing whatever it is that you do**.'

'_I was actually on my way out but my assistant lost my boots_, _which he does all the time but I really can't complain about it now seeing as I got a chance to chat with you_.'

'**Your assistant lost your boots**?' Gwen was shocked. Just who was Phoenix? Had her suspicions been right? '**I'm tempted to ask who you are and what you do.**'

'_I'm almost tempted to tell you, but you know me I'm a stickler for rules._' He really wanted to know who she was but he knew she wouldn't tell him, at least not yet.

'**Really? I would never have guessed**.'

Arthur was about to reply when Merlin burst into the room; Arthur hid his laptop and turned to face his servant.

"What were you doing?" Merlin asked him.

"Nothing," Arthur replied. He was sorry that he hadn't said goodbye to Aqua but there was no way he was going to write anything more with Merlin in the room.

"You were chatting with someone online, weren't you?" Merlin persisted.

"So what if I was?"

"Uh, nothing," Merlin nodded. "The fact that you hid your laptop under the pillows when I came in tells me that you didn't want me to find out."

"Your point being?"

"Nothing," Merlin smiled. "Nothing at all."

"I'll meet you in the stables in a few minutes," Arthur said.

"I know what you're trying to do," Merlin replied. "You're trying to get rid of me so that you can write to whoever it is you were writing you. Is it a girl?" Merlin wasn't fast enough to duck the pillow that Arthur threw at him and he left the room laughing.

Arthur pulled out the laptop, thankfully Aqua was still on line he apologised and told her that he had to go.

000

Gwen smiled at her father and they walked together to the forge; Tom was in very good spirits and lately he seemed to have a bit more money than usual. She hoped that he wasn't doing anything that would get him into trouble.

000

Gwen couldn't believe it when she heard the news. Her father had been arrested and charged with treason.

"I didn't know that he was a sorcerer," Tom told Gwen. She had gone to the dungeons to visit him. "I meant no harm I swear."

"Why didn't you tell me what was going on?" she asked him.

"I knew you wouldn't like it Gwen, you're cautious. I didn't want to let an opportunity pass." He had honestly thought he was doing something to improve their lives.

"Opportunity? You call this an opportunity?"

"I've been a fool," Tom sighed. "I just wanted to make a better life for us, for you, I wanted to make you happy."

"I am happy," Gwen replied, "I don't need anything else, I have everything I want."

"And I've thrown it all away."

"It's alright," Gwen reassured him, "we will get you out of here, I promise."

000

Gwen couldn't believe it. Her father, her dearest father, was dead. She couldn't believe it; he had been innocent of using magic she knew that as well as she knew that her name was Guinevere so why had he tried to escape? Why had he brought his execution closer? Why hadn't he let them prove his innocence?

She ran out of the castle behind the men who were carrying her father's body. She wasn't sure that she wasn't dreaming. She wasn't sure that this wasn't a nightmare that she would wake up from. The funeral arrangements would have to be made and Gwen was thankful that Merlin and Gaius were there to help her with that.

After her tears were spent, Gwen sat on her bed and stared at the wall. She hadn't written to Phoenix in days but what did a faceless person matter at a time like this, her father was dead. Gone forever.

000

Arthur was angry. He couldn't believe how quickly everything had happened. One minute Tom was being arrested for working with a man he didn't know was a sorcerer, a crime that Arthur didn't think was worth killing a man for, and the next Tom was murdered while trying to escape from the dungeons.

It didn't make sense to him at all, if Tom was innocent, and Arthur believed he was, why had he tried to escape? Especially when his trial was going to be in the morning? He stared out of his window and thought fleeting of Aqua, of writing to her but he couldn't find the strength. What would it help to write to a faceless person on a computer? He needed to do something.

He sat up and thought of what he could do to help Guinevere at this time. She probably wouldn't want to see him… his father had just had her father killed after all. But in all his interactions with her, the most important being when they were in Ealdor, Guinevere had been a friend to him. She never treated him like a prince; she acted as if he was just an ordinary…normal guy.

She probably wouldn't want to see him but he would go anyway, he would be there for her in her time of need.

He walked to her house and knocked on the door, as expected he found her talking with Merlin.

"Sire," Gwen said, getting to her feet. _What was he doing here?_

"Guinevere, I want you know that your job is safe," Arthur said, "and that your home is yours for life. I guarantee you that." He wanted to say sorry… sorry for the loss of a parent…sorry that his father had had him killed but he couldn't, he didn't have the right words to convey what he felt. "I know that under the circumstances it's not much but uhm… anything you want…anything you need all you have to do is ask."

As he turned to leave, Arthur stopped and looked at Guinevere; she was just looking at him and hadn't said a single word since he'd begun talking.

"I'm sorry," he said. He'd never found those words as inadequate as he found them now.

"Thank you, Sire."

000

Arthur turned on his laptop and wasn't surprised to find that he had no mails from Aqua. So many things had been happening in Camelot over the past few days, she had probably been as busy as he had been.

'Dear Aqua,

How are you? I guess you've also been too busy to write. It has been a hectic few days in Camelot, but then again when has life ever been easy here.

I wanted to write earlier because you are the only person I find that I really talk to these days but I was too grieved. A friend of mine lost a parent a while ago, I would go into detail but we wouldn't want that, would we? Anyway death happens all the time, it is a part of life after all but somehow this time it has saddened me more than I can say.

It got me thinking about words…why do we even say we lost someone when they die? Are they lost?

Okay I'll stop here before I become too depressing.

Hope to hear from you real soon.

Yours Phoenix.'

000

Gwen was happy to receive the message from Phoenix. She had finally sat down in the house long enough to open her laptop and connect to the internet. It had been hard, with her father's death and then the threats but now it seemed life was slowly getting back to normal.

She read Phoenix's email twice and wondered what to write in reply. In the last week alone over three households had lost a parent or a sibling because of Uther so it wasn't surprising that Phoenix knew someone whose parent had been killed.

Gwen thought back to the past days and she could say with honesty that of all the kindnesses she had received Arthur's and Morgana's had touched her most. Morgana for speaking up and even getting thrown into the dungeons, for helping her deal with the death threats, Morgana had been amazing. But somehow, Arthur's gesture had touched her even more deeply… he had come to her house and his words had touched her more than she thought it possible.

Thinking of Arthur made her wonder again if he could be Phoenix. She read his email again… he had written about a friend losing a parent. A friend of his had lost a parent, but Arthur and she were they friends? Gwen sighed softly and turned off the computer, feeling really sleepy for the first time in days, she was really losing it if she thought that somehow of all the people in Camelot she was writing to Arthur. She smiled again as she thought of Arthur, he had been very kind to her… maybe they were friends after all.

000


	5. Chapter 5

**THANKS for reading and reviewing.**

**THANK YOU….**

**000**

The ride back to Camelot was made in silence; even Merlin had stopped talking a few hours earlier. The knights had been at the Northern border for almost a week, defending the villages there against the men from Caret who had tried to take over their land. Now, it had all been settled, Arthur had managed to come up with a solution that worked for everyone – diplomacy, no less – and now they could all live in peace.

000

"Merlin!" Arthur shouted for the second time.

"Should we turn back and look for him?" Leon asked.

"No," Arthur replied, getting off his horse. They were so close to the citadel, he could see the Castle very clearly, and he knew that his men really wanted to get home as soon as possible. "You go on. I'll find him."

"Okay," Leon said, and he and the rest rode on.

'Merlin had better have a good excuse for disappearing off like,' Arthur thought to himself as he went in search of him.

000

Merlin walked carefully towards the Druid boy, wondering what he was doing in the woods so close to the Castle. He hoped Arthur and others hadn't noticed his disappearance.

"What are doing here?" he asked the boy.

"I was sent to find you," the boy replied, showing him his mark.

"What is it?" Merlin asked.

"My sister is very sick, and you're the only one who can help us."

"_Merlin!"_

The boy disappeared as Arthur's voice drew closer.

"Merlin," Arthur said again as he approached his servant.

"Yes, Sire," Merlin said sourly.

"I have been calling you for five minutes," Arthur complained. When Merlin didn't reply Arthur added, "If you wanted to be alone you could have just told me."

"Would you have let me have some time to myself?"

"No, of course not."

They stared at each other in silence and Arthur asked, "so what were you doing here?"

"I just wanted to spend some time alone," Merlin fumbled, "to…uhm… think and stuff."

"Think about what?" Arthur asked him curiously.

"They say that thinking's good for you," Merlin replied. "You should try it some time."

"Funny," Arthur rolled his eyes. "If wanted to go you should have just said."

"That is not what I was doing," Merlin grumbled.

000

Gwen carried the laundry basket and walked the corridor towards Morgana's room. It was still only morning but she tired, she couldn't wait for the afternoon – Morgana was going riding with Arthur and Uther and she was going to be free.

She thought she'd bumped into one of the columns until a pair of hands reached out to steady her.

"Careful."

She looked down at the clothes which had fallen out of basket and then at Arthur who still had his hands on her arms.

"Sire, I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going," she apologised.

"It's fine," he said letting go of her.

"Thank you," Gwen told him and she began to pick up the clothes. Luckily she hadn't washed them yet otherwise she would have had to wash some of them again. She noticed that Arthur was still standing in the corridor looking at her and she picked up the basket.

"I'll be on my way then," she told him, "thank you, Sire."

He nodded and then as she turned to leave he called to her, 'Guinevere."

Gwen stopped, looked down at the clothes and then turned to face Prince Arthur. "Yes?"

"I was just wondering… I wanted to ask how you were holding up," Arthur said.

"I'm fine," Gwen smiled at him. "Thank you for asking. I mean, I really, really miss him, sometimes when I go home I expect him to walk through the door at any moment and then I remember that he's never coming back."

"I'm sorry," Arthur said. "I didn't mean to -"

"It's okay," Gwen interrupted him.

"There you are," Merlin came half-running down the corridor. "You're needed in the council chambers."

Arthur nodded at Gwen and then walked off leaving her staring after him.

000

'Dear Phoenix,

Have you ever thought that you knew someone and then you found out something that made you change your opinion of them?

Does it mean you made a hasty decision? That you didn't know the person as well as you thought you did? That you only knew half the story? What?

Anyway, enough about that.

And no I refuse to believe all those game hunting stories, you're just trying to impress me.

Aqua.'

Gwen laughed to herself as she typed the last line.

000

'Dear Aqua,

I imagine that happens to everyone and I'm not surprised that that has been your experience. I guess it just means we tend to judge others before we really know them.

So remember how I was telling you about the day I went hunting, I know you said that you don't believe me but I'm telling the truth. So, it was unbelievable, everyone shot an animal, even the men I have never seen using a crossbow; they all shot deer, one man even killed a fox but me…nothing.

I was kind of bummed, I couldn't believe it. So now I guess it means I have to practice harder not to be caught out like that again.

Phoenix.'

Arthur could still hear his father's scathing comments about his poor show during the hunt. Thankfully, it hadn't been a jousting or sword fighting contest or worse a real battle.

000

The knights were creeping slowly through the woods armed with spears and crossbows. As usual Arthur was in the lead, ready to take on the creature that was threatening the lives of the people.

000

"The creature you describe has all the characteristics of the Questing Beast," Gaius told them.

"Gaius," Uther's tone thinly veiled his displeasure at the information that the Court Physician was providing and Gaius decided to keep his peace.

"Whatever it is," Arthur pointed out to his father, "it is causing panic in Camelot."

"Then we must kill it," Uther commanded. "Arthur, gather the guard together. You ride at dawn."

000

"I have to stop him," Morgana said jumping out of bed. Gwen had spent the night in the Castle looking after Morgana as she sometimes did when her mistress was having trouble sleeping.

"At least dress properly before you go out," Gwen urged her.

"I have to tell him before it's too late," Morgana insisted running outside to where Arthur and the guard were preparing to set off.

(-)

"He thought was just worried," Morgana told Gwen when she returned to her room a few minutes later. "That there was nothing to be afraid of."

"He'll be fine," Gwen assured her friend and mistress, "you'll see."

Morgana entered her bed and covered her head. She hoped that the things that had kept her awake in the night would not come to pass, that she was wrong.

000

Uther carried Arthur to his chambers. He couldn't believe that he was going to lose his son; that Arthur would not live to rule Camelot.

000

Gwen couldn't believe it when she heard that Arthur was injured, possibly dead. He couldn't be dead. Not yet at least. She wanted to go to him immediately but couldn't because the King, was keeping vigil at his son's side.

Finally she saw Uther leave Arthur's room; he seemed so broken; like he'd lost everything that Gwen felt a bit sorry for him.

She knocked softly on the door waking Gaius from a light sleep.

"Gaius, you should get some rest."

Gaius couldn't deny that he really needed it but said instead, "he must not be left alone."

"I'll nurse him," Gwen told him.

She walked over to Arthur's bed and looked at him lying there, almost dead. She couldn't believe that he could die before she told him of her suspicions that he was Phoenix, which grew stronger every day, before he got a chance to become the great king she knew he would become. She thought to what she'd heard about the knights' journey to Caret where he had made peace in a situation which his father would have found impossible, how he cared about the people of Camelot, and especially how kind he had been to her.

He could not die.

She soaked cloth and sat on the bed and began to tend to his fever.

"You're not going to die, Arthur," she told him. He couldn't. Not now. Not yet.

"I'm telling you. Because I know that one day, you will be king." He was natural leader and he was the only heir to the throne of Camelot. Even as these thoughts crossed her mind, Gwen thought back to different instances over the past few months, how he had disobeyed his father and even spent in the dungeons in order to save Merlin's life, how he had listened to her advice in Ealdor and helped saved Merlin's home, how he had helped her after her father's death, all the times he had taken the part of the common people in Camelot.

"You're going to be a greater king than you father could ever be…" she told him, "it's what keeps me going. You're going to live to be the man I've seen inside you Arthur." She couldn't tell him that to his face, but because of his kindness, his heart, his courage, she could see it and was not like Arthur could really hear her anyway but she needed to tell him. "I can see a Camelot that is fair and just I can see a king that the people will love and be proud to call their sovereign."

She thought of how easy it would be to love him and catching herself, she sighed and looked at him.

"For the love of Camelot, you have to live."

She took one of his hands in her and kissed it.

000

Gwen couldn't believe it when she heard that Arthur was awake, that he was going to be fine. She made her way quickly to his room.

She knew that she probably shouldn't say anything but she couldn't help it and the smile that curved her mouth when she saw that he was really awake. "I knew it."

Her smile broadened. "I said you'd be alright."

His "I can remember you talking to me," stopped her from her work to face him. _He was supposed to have been out of it._

"You can?" she asked apprehensively not daring to face him. _He could?_

"Wiping my forehead."

Gwen turned to face him, that she could explain and she hoped that that was all he remembered. "I was tending to your fever."

"You never lost faith."

"I was just talking." _I hope he can't remember exactly what I said. Please._

"Tell me again what you said?"

"I don't remember."

"Yes you do." _He wasn't teasing her, was he?_

"No, I don't."

"Come on, something about the man I am inside." _He had heard her and he was teasing her._

She would deny it to his face; she picked up the laundry and turned to face him. Big mistake, she couldn't look him in the eye. "No I never said that."

"Guinevere." Why did he have to say her name like that? She had to get out. Now. Luckily she could. "I have to get these washed, Sire," she told him and rushed out, the laugh that followed her told her that he knew exactly what he was doing.

000

Gwen wasn't surprised not hear from Arthur/ Phoenix, with all that happened over the past few days. What with him almost dying, and then Hunith, Merlin's mother, also almost dying; and then Merlin and Gaius' disappearance.

She also hadn't written to him because every time she had tried to write she could hear him teasing her about the words she had said to him, but after a week she decided to write.

'Dear Phoenix,

I hope that you are fine. As I'm sure you're already aware, Our Crown Prince, Arthur, nearly died a few days ago. I know that I don't know he well, well, not at all really but like all good citizens of Camelot I was worried about him.

So any news?

Aqua.

p.s. Have you been hunting recently? Is that why you haven't been writing?'

000

'Dear Aqua,

I'm sure that the Prince would be glad to hear of your concern for him. He seems to be on the mend.

Something… strange happened to me a few days ago and it reminded me of a topic we once discussed. You remember, about thinking you have someone all figured out and then they do or say something that makes you change your mind.

Well, in my case, it wasn't … urgh this is very hard to write… what I'm trying to say that someone did something that made me think that maybe I really did know them. That my first impression was right… okay I'm confusing myself so I'll leave that topic.

Do you recall how when we first began to write we said that it didn't matter who was writing to whom and that knowing our true identities would somehow compromise our ability to write to each other but I have to say this…. I think we were wrong.

I think we should meet.

Phoenix.

p.s. No, I haven't been hunting in a while. And as for my lack of correspondence, let's just say that it was due to circumstances beyond my control.'

000

Gwen read her mail again. He wanted them to meet. He wanted to know who she was. She couldn't possibly meet Arthur and tell him who she was. He was a Prince and she was a servant.

She turned off her computer.

They would just have to stop communicating. And she would start avoiding Arthur.

000


	6. Chapter 6

**THANKS for reading and reviewing.**

**THANK YOU….**

**000**

Gwen was very careful not to write to Arthur, and that basically meant that she stopped checking her 'Aqua' account, luckily she did have another email account although this 'real' account tended to receive about only one mail every few months when Elyan bothered to check in and tell her that he was alive somewhere, out there.

So she had succeeded on one account, she wasn't writing to Arthur, but not seeing him was another thing altogether. It seemed to her that ever since she had made that vow – not to write to him and to avoid him – that he was everywhere she went.

She saw him every morning when she went it to work; she bumped into in him in the corridors of the Castle, and had had to serve him, Morgana and Uther on numerous occasions, that it had unofficially become one of her duties. She saw him almost every day in town on her way home, she saw him in the market and guess who she run into when she went to the well… Arthur. He was everywhere.

In fact, if Gwen didn't know any better she would have thought that he somehow knew that she had decided to avoid him.

She was going to have to work much harder to avoid him.

000

Gwen walked besides Morgana smiling. The two of them were going riding that afternoon and Gwen couldn't hold back her excitement. She stopped short when they got into the courtyard and saw Arthur and Merlin standing there with four horses.

"What are they doing here?" Gwen whispered furiously to her friend.

"They're coming with us."

"What?" Gwen almost shouted and then noticing the look Morgana was giving her added, "I mean, I thought it was just going to be the two of us."

"It was in the beginning," Morgana admitted, "but when I told Arthur of our plans he thought that it would be a good idea for the four of us to have a day off today, together."

"I see."

"It will be fine," Morgana assured her. "We're going to have a lot of fun. Wait till you see the picnic that the boys have prepared."

Arthur helped the girls onto their horses and the four of them rode into the woods.

000

"Won't your father mind that you went for a picnic with your servants?"

"My father is more likely to wonder about our going riding without our servants," Arthur replied. "He obviously doesn't know about the picnic part."

"Yes, Uther would have a fit if he even thought that you were having a picnic with servants," Morgana agreed.

"Then it's a good thing that we're not," Arthur concluded popping a grape into his mouth.

"What do you call this then?" Merlin asked.

"How about a group of friends spending some time together?" Arthur suggested. They picked a spot and spread out a blanket and the girls sat down while Arthur and Merlin took care of the food.

000

Merlin had been a bit surprised at Arthur's enthusiasm for the outing. Arthur had found out from Morgana during supper the night before that she and Gwen were going riding – Uther had been absent from the meal – and Arthur had suggested to Morgana that it would be a good idea if he and Merlin went with them.

"We don't need your protection," Morgana had assured him. "We're more than capable of taking care of ourselves."

"I know that," Arthur had agreed. "I just thought it would be good to spend some time out of the castle, having some fun."

Merlin had listened to Arthur's justifications for their joining the party and refused to be part of them until Arthur told him the real reason why he wanted them to go with the girls.

"We're just going to relax, have fun," Arthur said. "Spend time with friends."

"So we're friends then?"

"I didn't mean you obviously," Arthur began and seeing Merlin's grin he swallowed and stopped talking.

"Why would you mean me?" Merlin asked. "Me, I'm just your servant and Gwen is just Morgana's servant and if wanted to spend time with Morgana there would be need for the four of us to ride out and have a picnic prepared."

"Merlin."

"I'm just pointing out that there is no need for Gwen and me to join your private picnic with Morgana," Merlin continued. "In fact I'm sure that there are some chores that we have to finish, some –"

"Shut up, Merlin."

But Merlin was on a roll. "Unless this is some underhand plan for you to spend some time alone, well almost alone, with Gwen without raising any suspicions."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Arthur denied.

"Okay," Merlin grinned. "You can deny it all you want but some of us have eyes and we use them."

"Whatever," Arthur said. "Just make sure you get the food I asked you to."

000

"I think we should see Gwen home first and then head for the castle," Morgana suggested.

"What?" Gwen protested. "There's no need, I can see myself home."

"Nonsense."

The four of them walked towards Gwen's house. Merlin was the first to drop off, he suddenly remembered some herbs that Gaius had asked to get that he had forgotten to pick and Morgana decided to look at the wares in the market stalls, leaving Gwen and Arthur walking alone towards her house.

"Thank you for seeing me home," Gwen said when they got to her house. She opened the door and walked in, it was empty obviously.

Arthur nodded and followed her in.

"There's no need to look around," Gwen assured him. "I'm perfectly safe."

They stood around doing nothing and Gwen decided to busy herself, she took off her cape and put it away. She asked Arthur to have a seat; she would offer him a drink and then send him on his way and the sooner the better.

Arthur sat down and looked around the house; he hadn't really looked around the last he'd been there. It really was a small place. Maybe he should leave, although he really wanted to stay there and spend some time alone with Gwen.

Gwen went to the small kitchen and looked around, all she had was water. Should she really give it to him, she wondered.

Arthur fidgeted and then saw a small notebook lying on the table and picked it up. He hadn't intended to open it but he found himself turning the pages and he stopped in shock.

The word Phoenix was written in different scripts on many of the pages. Did this mean what he thought it meant? Was Gwen Aqua?

000


	7. Chapter 7

**THANKS for reading and reviewing.**

**THANK YOU….**

**000**

Arthur stared at the pages of the book. He was probably over thinking things. Just because someone wrote down a word in their book didn't mean that it meant anything …more to them. Or did it? Should he ask Gwen outright? Ask her to explain why she had written the word Phoenix over and over in her book? But then she would ask, and rightly so, why he had been going through her book.

Gwen stood in the kitchen still trying to decide whether or not to offer Arthur a drink. He was probably wondering what had happened to her. He was probably wondering if she had gone to the kitchen to hide from him.

Taking a deep breath, Gwen picked up a jug filled it with water, took a goblet and put the items on a tray and went back to rejoin her guest.

The sight of Arthur sitting with her notebook in his hands, open, stopped her short. He must have seen her scribblings; she hoped she hadn't written the word Phoenix anywhere in the notebook. But then who was she kidding, she'd probably written it on every page. But if she lucky, really lucky, Arthur may not have noticed it.

Arthur's look when he saw her in the room told her otherwise. He'd obviously seen the word but that didn't mean that he'd figured out that she was Aqua.

Arthur looked at Gwen and all his plans and ideas to lead up to it slowly flew out of his head. He wanted, no needed, to know if…scratch that, Guinevere had better be Aqua or else.

He stood up and walked towards her with the notebook open to one of the pages where'd scribbled and showed it to her. Gwen looked at it and then at it and waited, if he wanted to know then he needed to ask the question.

"Does this mean what I think it means?"

"That depends," Gwen replied, "what you think it means?"

Arthur shook his head, he had hoped she'd make it easy but apparently she wasn't.

"What the word Phoenix mean anything to you?"

Gwen sighed and decided to take pity on him. "Arthur," she asked him. "What exactly are you asking?"

Arthur took a deep breath and asked tentatively, "Aqua?"

"Phoenix," Guinevere said softly in reply.

Arthur couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that he had been writing to Guinevere all this time without knowing it. "You're Aqua," he said again, "really Aqua." He remembered how he'd wondered why their mails had those time lags, like when they'd been in Ealdor, how the advice Aqua had given him always sounded like Guinevere was speaking to him.

Arthur noticed that Guinevere wasn't as surprised as he was. "When did find out?" he asked her.

"I had my suspicions, the absences from Camelot were too related to the lack of email to be just a coincidence," Gwen told him, "your behaviour when my father was killed and then your accident with the Questing beast," she shrugged. "Everything just clicked into place."

"So you've known, well suspected, for weeks," Arthur said, understanding suddenly dawning, "that 's why you stopped writing to me. Isn't it?"

"I was sure that you wouldn't want to be writing to me," Gwen told him.

"Why not?" Arthur asked. "You're about the only friend I have, you and Merlin."

"I thought it would awkward," Gwen replied. "You're the Crown Prince and I'm just a servant."

"You know I don't care about that," Arthur said.

"You may not," Gwen assured him, "but others might, your father for one."

"My father doesn't know who I write to," Arthur told her. "And more to the point he doesn't care."

"I should hope so."

"But I know that that's not what you meant," Arthur said. Gwen wanted to interrupt him but he shushed her. "There's something I have to tell you, I want you to know Guinevere that although it may not always seem like it I am and I'll always be your friend."

"Okay."

They were still standing in the middle of the room looking at each other. Arthur wanted to touch Guinevere but he stopped himself, instead he contented himself with saying her name. Guinevere just continued staring at him.

"Actually that isn't what I really wanted to say," Arthur said.

"What did you want to say?"

"Guinevere, I have …feelings for you," Arthur said. "I mean I really, really like you…and I was beginning to fall in love with Aqua."

Gwen looked at Arthur, "you're always surprising me."

"In a good way, I hope."

"Definitely."

"So…?"

Instead of replying, Gwen grabbed ahold of his shirt, pulled him down by the lapel and kissed him.

Arthur reached out his hand and touched her cheek slowly; she brought her hand up to cover his. "I can't believe this is happening."

"Me neither."

"So what happens next?" Arthur asked.

"We take things slow," Gwen told him, "try and figure us out, work out the whole Prince and servant thing."

"I can live with that," Arthur said. The sound of the door opening made them step back from each other and saw Merlin rush into the room.

"Ah, sorry, to uh…" he mumbled. "Arthur, your father needs you urgently."

"I have to go," Arthur told Gwen apologetically.

"It's okay," Gwen smiled. "I'll see you when I see you."

000

"So, is she Aqua then?"

Arthur tried to glare at his servant…friend and although he wanted to deny to it, he couldn't, not when it filled him with such joy. "I won't even bother to ask you how you even knew about that."

"What made you choose a name like Phoenix, anyway?"

"Do I really have to say it, Merlin?"

"Nope, I'm shutting up now."

000

Arthur logged onto his computer and checked for messages, although he figured that Guinevere would not be writing to him, not as Aqua. He was pleasantly surprised.

'Dear Phoenix,' he read,

'You'll never believe what happened to me today. I would make you guess that would require me writing another mail on this subject so I'll have pity on you and tell you.

You remember how we were talking about misjudging people, well it turns out I was wrong about the 'prat', he's actually not so prattish after all. I mean he is, but I think it suits him very well. I would say more on that subject but I wouldn't want to make you jealous, what I would like to do though is to say thank you for being such a great friend.

Your Aqua,

P.S. I do expect a reply and soon.'

Arthur laughed and began to compose a reply immediately.

000


End file.
